Grade leveling and smoothing are operations which are carried out for a variety of purposes, most notably in preparation for the application of a hard surface of concrete or other material. One specific requirement for a grade leveling and smoothing operation is the preparation of a surface for resurfacing. When an old concrete surface or other pavement surface is broken and removed, the sand or other newly-exposed grade is disturbed and must be leveled. In such a situation, major earth-moving operations are usually unnecessary.
Various device have been used for grade leveling and smoothing operations. These include hand-held tools, such as rakes and levelers, and a variety of wide blades which are supported on a vehicle which drives over the area to be leveled and smoothed. These devices are designed specifically for leveling and smoothing operations.
Other devices, intended for other purposes, are frequently adapted for simple grade leveling and smoothing operations. For example, devices such as backhoe buckets are dragged in a particular way over surfaces to be leveled. More specifically, the front surface of a backhoe bucket is drawn toward the backhoe vehicle and, during such movement, the orientation of the bucket is repeatedly adjusted to keep the front surface of the bucket approximately parallel to the ground. Such an operation requires a high level of skill to be successful, and even then does not produce a highly satisfactory result.
The disadvantages of manual leveling operations are apparent. Such operations are slow, and may be made even slower when coarse objects are encountered during the leveling operation. Likewise, the disadvantages of vehicle-mounted blades are apparent. Such devices are expensive, and certain jobs may not justify the use of very expensive equipment.
There is a need for a simple and inexpensive device for efficient and effective grade leveling and smoothing operations. In particular, there is a need for grade leveling and smoothing apparatus which can be used easily and effectively in preparing localized areas for resurfacing or repaving, after removal of an old surface.